Boxing great Muhammad Ali died of septic shock: family spokesman

A man has his photograph taken near a makeshift memorial to the late Muhammad Ali in New York, U.S., June 4, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

(Reuters) - Muhammad Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, died at age 74 of septic shock due to unspecified natural causes, a family spokesman said on Saturday.

Ali, who had long suffered from Parkinson’s syndrome, died at 9:10 p.m. MST on Friday, spokesman Bob Gunnell said at a press conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, not far from the facility where Ali was hospitalized for a respiratory issue.

His public funeral will be held on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, Gunnell said.